Get more done through visual thinking

We live in an age where we have access to more information than ever before. This comes with its own problems as our ability to remember, organize, and connect these masses of data is dwindling. When faced with too much information, we shut down. If your ideas can’t be explained, they can’t be done. 

‘Tell me, and I will forget, show me and I may remember, involve me, and I will understand’ – Confucius 450 BC.

Visual thinking is a way to organize your thoughts and improve your ability to think and communicate. It’s a great way to convey complex or potentially confusing information. It’s also about using tools — like pen and paper, index cards and software tools — to externalize your internal thinking processes. This will make your thinking processes more precise, explicit and actionable. 

Research shows thinking visually is a vital skill for developing new ideas and designs. Communicating your ideas effectively will allow you to collaborate with others to make them real.

Visual thinking will allow your ideas to be better linked, this will allow you to have a stronger grip on each theory or concept. The visual and spatial parts of our brains are stimulated more effectively by different colors and shapes, much more effectively than plain text. This means you understand each concept more thoroughly, as well as how it connects to others.

With the speed at which industries evolve and how competitive markets have become, you have to place a significant emphasis on your time. Making faster decisions, cutting out unwanted information, and understanding each concept better are all time-saving elements to visual thinking. Time is a valuable component in our lives and careers, so saving it is a significant benefit. New research has revealed we can save 33 minutes and 36 seconds over a 40 hour week by merely using visual communications. 

In short, implementing visual thinking in your daily routine doesn’t only save time and get your ideas across more clearly. Visual thinking will also clear out all the unnecessary information to dramatically improve your productivity.